Synonyms of wreck

wreck 1 of 2

noun

ˈrek 

1

as in wreckage

the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed

found the wreck of the ship lying on the floor of the ocean

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wreckage
• debris
• rubble
• ruins
• remains
• remnant
• ashes
• detritus
• residue
• flotsam
• junk
• dust
• garbage
• refuse
• litter
• leavings
• scrap
• jetsam
• trash
• rubbish
• waste
• chaff
• dross
• deadwood
• riffraff

2

as in wrecking

the destruction or loss of a ship

the wreck cost the insurance company millions of dollars

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wrecking
• sinking
• shipwreck
• wreckage
• shipwrecking
• stranding
• beaching
• foundering
• grounding
• scuttling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recovery
• salvage
• salvaging

3

as in collision

the violent coming together of two bodies into destructive contact

a dangerous stretch of roadway that has been the scene of numerous car wrecks

Synonyms & Similar Words

• collision
• crash
• accident
• smashup
• concussion
• crack-up
• smash
• destruction
• pileup
• ruin
• demolishment

wreck

2 of 2

verb

1

as in to scuttle

to cause irreparable damage to (a ship) by running aground or sinking

many an unwary captain has wrecked his ship on the shoals that surround the island

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scuttle
• shipwreck
• strand
• beach
• founder

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recover
• salvage

2

as in to ruin

to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of

most of the furniture on the ground floor was wrecked by the floodwaters

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ruin
• destroy
• demolish
• shatter
• devastate
• smash
• damage
• overcome
• waste
• desolate
• annihilate
• tear down
• extinguish
• total
• decimate
• ravage
• vaporize
• wrack
• erode
• pull down
• pulverize
• cripple
• mar
• cream
• raze
• rub out
• defeat
• kill
• dismantle
• blast
• nuke
• break
• crush
• injure
• best
• do in
• spoil
• harm
• remove
• subdue
• deteriorate
• disintegrate
• impair
• conquer
• prevail (over)
• havoc
• triumph (over)
• master
• rout
• disfigure
• win (against)
• lick
• trim
• dynamite
• surmount
• scotch
• mutilate
• thrash
• sweep (away)
• blow up
• dissolve
• whip
• wear (away)
• vitiate
• deface
• mangle
• obliterate
• wash out
• wipe out
• eradicate
• slaughter
• sack
• scour
• beat
• undo
• plunder
• gut
• disassemble
• loot
• take down
• fell
• blot out
• massacre
• clobber
• cut down
• unmake
• overbear
• murder
• assassinate
• expunge
• despoil
• extirpate
• exterminate
• trounce
• liquidate
• slay
• kill off
• overmatch
• pillage
• skunk
• trash
• dilapidate
• drub
• wallop
• trample
• snuff (out)
• efface
• butcher
• take out
• vandalize
• stamp (out)
• dispatch
• unbuild
• mow (down)
• root (out)
• execute
• zap

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• build
• set up
• construct
• repair
• raise
• fix
• rear
• put up
• create
• erect
• patch
• mend
• make
• found
• produce
• shape
• form
• manufacture
• protect
• invent
• assemble
• save
• establish
• organize
• revamp
• preserve
• mold
• forge
• constitute
• bring about
• frame
• institute
• recondition
• fashion
• rebuild
• fabricate
• doctor
• restore
• reconstruct
• conserve
• father
• renovate
• remodel

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of wreck

Noun

Oldoerp said investigators were already in contact with McLaren officials and other experts about how to proceed in inspecting the wreck. — Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

When visibility is good, snorkelers can make out the ship’s form from the surface 60 feet above the wreck. — Sarah Bruning, Travel + Leisure, 17 Oct. 2026

Verb

From Miami to Fort Lauderdale, residents struggled through the saltwater suddenly seeping into their neighborhoods and wrecking their commute. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026

The 21-year-old from Dallas, who soared to gold in the all-around on Friday after recovering from injuries that wrecked her Olympic hopes in 2021 and again in 2024, hardly looked tired in what has quickly become the meet of her life. — ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026

Phrases Containing wreck

• nervous wreck